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- Read on for English and French language versions of this story- La traduction française suit le texte anglais

One of the four gold medals won by US athletics legend Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Olympics was today sold at auction for $1,466,574.

It is the highest price ever paid for an item of Olympic memorabilia, almost doubling the previous record of $865,000 paid last April for a silver cup won by the winner of the first modern-day Olympic Marathon in 1896.

The medal was sold by SCP Auctions on behalf of Elaine Plaines-Robinson, wife of entertainer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, who was a close friend of Owens before he passed away in 1949. Owens died 31 years later in 1980.

Long before the days of Usain Bolt or Carl Lewis, Owens was one of the sport’s first superstars. He famously won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, Long Jump and 4x100m Relay at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin with Adolf Hitler looking on.

It is not known exactly which of these four medals was sold at auction as there are no markings on it.

“We are honoured to handle what we consider to be among the most inspiring sports artefacts ever offered at auction,” said SCP president David Kohler. “Worldwide attention garnered by the auction of Jesse Owens’ 1936 gold medal and the extraordinary auction result proves that Owens' triumphant legacy continues to endure.”